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Who is Zach Yadegari? Teen rejected by 15 universities raises $10 million for new AI startup
Zach Yadegari, who faced rejection from 15 universities, secured $10 million in funding for his latest AI venture.
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At just 19, American entrepreneur Zach Yadegari has already sold two businesses and secured $10 million in funding for his latest venture. The teenager, best known for co-founding the calorie-tracking app Cal AI, has launched another artificial intelligence startup called Persona, months after his previous company was acquired by MyFitnessPal.
According to an October 8 report by TechCrunch, the funding round was led by Vine Ventures, with participation from Z Fellows founder Cory Levy and Collective Global.
Who is Zach Yadegari?
Yadegari is a young entrepreneur from Long Island, New York, who began learning computer programming at seven.
According to Business Insider, he started developing software at an early age and created a gaming website called Totally Science while attending school. The platform allowed students to access games that were otherwise blocked on school networks.
He reportedly sold the business for approximately $100,000 when he was just 16.
(Also read: 18-year-old millionaire CEO of Cal AI rejected from Harvard, Yale, Stanford)
From college rejections to a multimillion-dollar business
Yadegari attracted widespread attention in April 2025 after revealing that 15 of the 18 universities he applied to had rejected him, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford.
Despite reporting a 4.0 GPA, an ACT score of 34 and an already successful business, he struggled to secure admission to several prestigious institutions. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Miami.
Meanwhile, his second venture, Cal AI, was gaining popularity. Launched in 2024, the app allowed users to estimate calories by uploading photographs of their meals.
In March 2026, MyFitnessPal announced its acquisition of Cal AI for an undisclosed amount. The company told TechCrunch that the app had surpassed 15 million downloads and generated more than $30 million in annual revenue within two years.
What is his latest venture?
After leaving MyFitnessPal in June, Yadegari began working on Persona, an AI assistant designed to help users manage everyday activities.
The startup plans to introduce a $179 wearable device in December. Unlike always-listening assistants, the device is designed to activate through a button or wrist movement.
(Also read: From coding at 7 to CEO at 18: Zach Yadegari shares journey of building $1.4 million-a-month AI company)
Yadegari told TechCrunch that the company would not sell user conversations to advertisers, although sponsored shopping recommendations would form part of its business model.
Persona is currently available in beta through iMessage and has attracted “a few thousand beta users”, according to Yadegari. Its ability to compete with established AI assistants remains to be seen.
